An electromagnetic coupling treatment for improving the cutting performance of cemented carbide-coated tools

To improve the cutting performance and prolong the service life of a carbide-coated tool in the process of ductile iron machining, an electromagnetic coupling treatment (EMCT) was carried out. The cutting experiments show that the cutting force and cutting temperature are reduced after EMCT, and the roughness of the machined surface is reduced. It is found that after EMCT with optimal parameters the dislocation density, microscopic strain, microhardness and bonding strength of an alumina coating increase by 109.2%, 28.2%, 28.3% and 26.6%, respectively. Using the actual machining of a differential housing to verify the tool life, it is found that after EMCT, a single tool can process 18.4 more workpieces or in other words, the tool life increased by 44%. EMCT can promote element diffusion, optimize coating properties and have great potential in coating tool life extension.